'It means everything': Kaukauna beats Kimberly for first time since 2003 to move into first-place tie in Fox Valley Association
KAUKAUNA – When the final game is over in the 2023 Kaukauna High School football season – and the Ghosts hope that isn’t until late November in Madison – plenty will be said and written about what the Ghosts accomplished these last two weeks.
After shutting out Appleton North 7-0 last week for their first victory over the Lightning since 2007, the Ghosts ended an even longer drought Friday with an even bigger victory.
Led by a ball-hawking defense that intercepted three passes, Kaukauna beat previously undefeated and No. 1-ranked Kimberly 14-13 to move into a tie for first place in the Fox Valley Association with the Papermakers.
The victory ended a 19-game losing streak for Kaukauna against Kimberly and was its first win in the rivalry since 2003.
“This one is everything,” said quarterback Finnley Doriot, whose 79-yard touchdown run in the second quarter gave the Ghosts the lead. “My goal has been to beat Kimberly for a long time. I have to praise God for putting us in this situation. For this game to be on homecoming and possibly to win the conference championship, it means everything.”
Kimberly led 7-0 in the first quarter after a 23-yard touchdown pass from Carson Pendleton to Brennen Grams, but the Ghosts tied the game in the second quarter on a 6-yard run by Aiden Reardon.
Reed Wittman’s interception deep in Kaukauna territory thwarted a Kimberly drive late in the first half, and two plays later Doriot broke free down the left sideline for his touchdown run to put the Ghosts back on top 14-7 after Osvaldo Soto Sanchez booted the extra point with 1:56 remaining before halftime.
Kimberly responded quickly and scored with 20 seconds remaining in the half on an 11-yard pass from Pendleton to Gavin Tyson. Hunter Berry lined up to kick the game-tying extra point but didn’t get the chance when the snap was a little low and wasn’t handled on a cool, damp night and Kimberly's attempt to run for two points was stopped a yard short.
The score remained that way for the rest of the game, but there was plenty of tense moments.
Kimberly’s Sawyer Hanlon blocked a 38-yard field goal attempt by Soto Sanchez in the third quarter and Kimberly returned the ball to the 43.
Kaukauna’s John Neumann then intercepted a pass near midfield and returned it for a touchdown, but the score was nullified by a Ghosts penalty on the return.
Kimberly had a final chance to pull out a victory after Thomas Meyers intercepted a fourth-down pass by Doriot with 3:18 remaining in the game.
Kimberly took over at its own 19 and picked up a couple first downs, but Pendleton was sacked on back-to-back plays to set up a fourth down after the Papermakers used their final timeout. Pendleton's final pass attempt over the middle was deflected into the air by Isaac Maas and intercepted by Sam DiPiazza with 1:08 remaining to seal the win.
“The way it looked in the first half, they were pushing us around and moving up and down the field,” Kaukauna coach Matt Binsfeld said. “But that’s what we’ve been. We’ve been the team that bends but doesn’t break and our kids don’t quit. I said it previously too, we rotate a lot of kids. We’re fortunate that we have a lot of kids who are bought in and working really hard on defense so we can rest kids and in the second half we come out really strong, playing a lot of kids. It’s terrific, a great effort. Coach (Frank) Martin, our defensive coordinator, does a fantastic job with our kids to give us a chance for this.”
Kaukauna and Kimberly are both 5-1 in the FVA. The Ghosts are 7-1 overall and host Appleton East to close out the regular season. Kimberly is 6-1 overall and plays at Appleton North next week.
“Obviously Kimberly’s the marquee program in the state and again, same as Appleton North, part of the reason this means so much is what they’ve done over the years and what coach has done there,” Binsfeld said. “So it means a ton to us. It was a lofty goal. But our kids weren’t afraid of it. We talked about facing up to this opportunity, not blinking, not flinching, in the face of a great team and we didn’t. We came to play. I’m so proud of our kids.”
Dean's big day helps Rockets earn playoff berth
Grant Dean rushed for 204 yards on 41 carries and scored both of Neenah's touchdowns in the Rockets' 14-7 victory over Fond du Lac.
The win improves Neenah's record to 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the FVA and secures a berth in the WIAA playoffs for the Rockets.
Dean scored on a pass of 7 yards from Ashton Van Beek in the first quarter and added a 1-yard plunge in the fourth. He also had an interception on defense.
Dean has 1,127 yards rushing this season on 150 carries with 15 rushing touchdowns along with two receiving scores and a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Friday's prep results: Here are Friday's high school sports results for the Appleton area
Week 8 football scores: Wisconsin high school football schedule and scores for Week 8 of the 2023 season
Menasha rebounds with rout of Sheboygan North
Menasha didn't wait long to bounce back from its loss to Notre Dame, getting six total touchdowns from quarterback Logan Liegl in a 55-7 blowout of Sheboygan North on Friday.
Liegl had four touchdown passes and two rushing in the win. He scored on runs of 7 and 8 yards and also threw two touchdown passes to Parker Wienandt (14, 37 yards), one to Ty Schwartzkopf (21 yards) and one to Jon Younger (6 yards). Liegl finished 8-of-13 for 112 yards through the air and also had 53 yards rushing for the Bluejays (6-2 overall, 5-1 Fox River Classic Conference-South).
Jeremiah Zank led the ground attack for Menasha, churning out 162 yards on 20 carries and scoring on a 4-yard run.
Around the Fox Valley
Wausau West (7-1, 5-1) held off Hortonville 14-6 in a Valley Football Association game. The Polar Bears scored on Gavin Vallner's 21-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, but it wasn't enough as their record drops to 5-3 overall and 4-2 in the VFA. ... Wrightstown (7-1, 5-1 North Eastern Conference) held off Little Chute 18-14 to set up a showdown with Luxemburg-Casco for the league crown next week. Aiden Humphreys had a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Tigers the lead for good early in the fourth quarter. ... In Eastern Wisconsin Conference play, Chilton (3-5, 2-4 EWC) kept its playoff chances alive with a 27-7 victory over Roncalli.
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This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Kaukauna Ghosts beat Kimberly Papermakers in high school football
